Frequently Asked Questions

A Tichel is a Jewish term for Headscarf. It refers to anything you wear on your head – from the a simple kerchif to the most elaborate wrap with 10 layered scarves. Some other Hebrew words that are used are “mitpachat” and “kisuy rosh”, but we like “tichel” because it sounds fun! The word itself is of Yiddish origin but is used comfortably by English speakers everywhere. It is pronounced with the “ch” as a hard “h”, somewhere between “tickle” and “tihel” – more like “tikhel”. (Just let some phlegm get into your “h” sound and you’re good to go!)

In Judaism when a woman gets married she covers her hair, keeping her sensuality sacred for her most important relationship. Often this hair covering will be done with a tichel 🙂

Anyone can wear a tichel – and MANY people do! There are women that wear it simply because it’s fashionable, and others for health and healing. There are also tons different religions that cover – and ladies also do it for spiritual connectedness not affiliated with any religion. It is certainly becoming a revolution that many ladies are joining! (It also adds a whole new element to your wardrobe!) One of our most frequently asked questions is, “Will Jewish women be insulted if I wear one if I’m not Jewish?” The answer is, “Not in the least!” – it is 100% okay – more than okay! – (we take it as a compliment) for everyone and anyone to wear these lovely creations! Join the sisterhood! Women of all faiths cover for various reasons. And many women enjoy tichels simply for the fantastic, regal look they give. No matter what your reasons are for covering, you are now with an incredible community of “Lady Wrap Stars” and we are so excited to have you here – prepare to get compliments!
(Also, please write to us about your covering story and experiences. We love receiving these messages and may even ask to feature you on our facebook page/site!)

On this site you can visit the Tutorials page. There you’ll find a collection of our How-to-Tie videos. These videos will get you started! There are also many tutorials posted with our products, and our youtube channel at the bottom of our home page (and other places!) For more (many more) tichel styles and ideas visit The Wrapunzel Blog, and check out the tutorials section!

There are a few aspects to this question. The first is health – many women find that their hair gets healthier when it is covered. No more exposure to harsh elements, no more heat styling and other kinds of damage! (Andrea hasn’t cut her hair in over 1.5 years and hasn’t found a single split end!) However your hair colour may change and sometimes darken because of less exposure to sun.
You may want to look into taking a vitamin D supplement because much vitamin D is absorbed through the scalp and when you cover your hair this absorption no longer takes place. Additionally, you may find yourself changing your hair care routine (many that cover find their hair needs washing less often – again, less exposure to icky elements).

Try not to wrap your hair when it is wet; this often results in your hair looking quite funny when you take your tichel off, is not good when it’s cold out, and also isn’t healthy for your hair if you’re covering for extended periods of time (causes breakage and potential mustiness).

Your hair may also react to being tied back tightly under your covering – often beginners will find themselves dealing with ballerina cap. (Ballerinas often suffer from a receding hairline due to the tight bun their hair is constantly in.) If you tie your hair back tightly in a ponytail you may experience something similar, so do not do this! After years of trial, we’ve found a solution that completely solves this issue: The Velvet Scrunchy. (Yes, they’re out of style, we had to hunt them down to bring ‘em to you!) Just use it in place of a pony holder to tie your hair back. It’s soft and won’t break your hair. As a bonus we offer it in a super large size so you can twist it around many times, if you like, for extra volume.

First of all, breathe. Welcome! You are in the right place!
The most important thing for you to do is take your time. This site isn’t going anywhere and neither are your tichels. Give yourself time to poke around the site, order a kit, some scarves, and a few essential tools. While you’re waiting for your products to arrive watch some tutorials, check the Wrapunzel Blog and facebook pages. Choose ONE tie – just one! And do it with every scarf that you own. Get so you can do this one tie in your sleep (we recommend choosing an easy tie to begin with). Then you can move on to other more complicated ‘dos. Most of all, don’t panic, relax and have fun! We have ALL felt the way you’re feeling right now… and it really is okay! You will become an awesome tichel tier before you know it!

What happens underneath your tichel is just as important (if not more) as what’s happening on top! We recommend Tichel Shapersbecause they fill out a tichel in a beautiful way, mimicking the look of wrapping up tons of hair. We love this look! However if you already have tons of hair and can make a big, voluminous, high bun, then you may not need it (though even when Andrea had hair down to her waist she still used it). There are also times when you want to wear just one layer such as when exercising, or biking. Andrea bikes a lot, and finds that her tichel fits best under the helmet without the Shaper. She then puts one on quickly when she arrives at her destination! Rivka Malka has a personal rule though – don’t leave home without it!:)

Slippage is one of the biggest complaints of tichel wearers, but we have a solution! We highly recommend the No-Slip headband. No, we more than recommend it – it is BEYOND essential! Years of experience has taught us that unless something is holding your tichel in place, it will slide back. The no-slip headband completely eliminates any slippage issues, and has changed many lives!

Wearing the Tichel Shaper underneath your tichel virtually eliminates the need to wash your tichel. However, if , let’s say, your tichel accidentally falls into your soup, you may need to wash it! In general, scarves are delicate and need to be hand washed. Drying should be done either on a cool air setting or air dried.

We will do our very best! However, since we are a boutique and our products are from around the world, (many are one-of-a-kind specialties) it may not be possible to restock or replicate exact kits. Grab specialty items while they’re here! We will be coming up with new kits and featuring new tichels/accessories regularly! Feel free to contact us with any questions.

We are so sorry for the discrepancy! We try our best at Wrapunzel to take careful photographs of our products that demonstrate their appearance accurately. However, since every computer/tablet/smartphone screen is calibrated differently, and different types of lighting can affect color appearance, representing an item onscreen exactly the way it appears in real life is challenging, if not impossible! If you receive an item that appears differently from what you had in mind after viewing it online, please email us. If you indeed received the wrong item, we’d be happy to replace it with the correct one. If you received the correct item but it just doesn’t suit you, we’d be happy to take it as a return!